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SINGAPORE: The Lim Chu Kang area will be transformed into a high-tech agri-food group, in a move that will strengthen Singapore’s food security and also create jobs for Singaporeans.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) announced the master plan exercise on Friday (October 2), saying that the revamped Lim Chu Kang agri-food cluster should be able to produce more than three times its current food production when completed.
The agency plans to study the development of shared facilities to reduce production costs and resource use, as well as establish the water, electricity and transportation infrastructure necessary to support high-tech agricultural systems on the 390 hectares of land.
This will also attract a “new generation” of skilled agricultural technology workers, SFA said, adding that these initiatives are in response to feedback from the industry.
While agri-food production will be the key focus of the master plan exercise, “relevant elements” such as farmers markets and educational tours will also be considered, the SFA said.
“While we will continue to identify alternative spaces to produce food, such as the roofs of HDB multi-story car parks, we will need to optimize and intensify our agricultural lands to grow more with less,” SFA said in a press release.
“The redevelopment of agricultural land in Lim Chu Kang enables us to enhance the local agri-food sector and develop sustainable, highly productive and industry-leading farms of the future,” he added.
Under the “30 to 30” target, the government aims to produce 30 percent of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030. This represents less than the current 10 percent, SFA said.
“We currently import more than 90 percent of our food supply, which makes us vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains. The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of ensuring we have diversified sources and resilient food supply chains, ”said SFA.
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The master plan, done in consultation with stakeholders, is expected to be completed in the next two to three years.
Meanwhile, development works, to be carried out in phases, are scheduled to begin in 2024.
MORE THAN THREE TIMES YOUR CURRENT FOOD PRODUCTION
The remodeled Lim Chu Kang should be able to produce more than three times its current food production, SFA said on Friday.
While an average vegetable farm in Singapore produces around 130 tonnes of vegetables per hectare per year on 2ha of land, a high-tech, high productivity version will be able to produce more than 1,000 tonnes per hectare per year on less than 1 ha of land. SFA said.
“This will contribute substantially to the goal of ’30 by 30 ‘and efforts to ensure food security for Singaporeans,” he said.
All farms in the Lim Chu Kang area will be allowed to stay until the end of their leases.
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Twenty-three farms, whose leases expire between 2020 and 2022, will be offered a short lease extension before SFA rebuilds the land. Three farms whose leases expire between 2026 and 2027 will be able to remain there until their leases expire.
SFA and the National Parks Board (NParks) will work closely with these farms to support their transition.
The master plan does not invade the Sungei Buloh Natural Park Network, the SFA said, adding that it will carry out an environmental study later this year to “better understand the flora and fauna ecosystem in the area.”
He will work with nature groups on the study, and the findings will be factored into the master plan, he said.
